This invention relates to two-wheel or three-wheel vehicles, such as motorcycles, scooters, etc., which includes a driver seat located backward of a headpipe, and more particularly to a steering apparatus to be used for such vehicles.
In a conventional two-wheel or three-wheel vehicle, such as motorcycle, motor scooter, etc., a headpipe is mounted on a front portion of a vehicle body frame, and a steering stem connected to a front fork supporting a front wheel is pivotably supported by the headpipe. A handle is mounted on an upper portion of the steering stem. The front wheel is steered by the handle. However, in a vehicle having such a conventional steering apparatus as mentioned, mounting position of the handle is restricted by the location of the headpipe. Accordingly, a driver sitting on the driver seat is also restricted in his posture for driving the vehicle. That is, if the driver sits in the driver seat in a comfortable sit-in style as he does when he drives a car, the handle becomes too far to reach by hand.
In view of the above, there is proposed a steering apparatus in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication (Kokai Tokkyo Koho) No. 58-128981, wherein mounting position and mounting angle of a handle can be determined arbitrarily in a two-wheel vehicle and a three-wheel vehicle. In this steering apparatus, a L-shaped stay projecting upward is mounted on a front surface of an intermediate portion of a headpipe, which pivotably supports a first steering stem connected to a front fork. A holding cylinder is pivotably attached to one end portion of this supporting stay. The holding cylinder permits a second steering stem to pivotably penetrate therethrough. And, the second steering stem is fixed at the rear end portion with a bar handle. An arm fixed to a front end portion of the second steering stem is connected to a top plate fixed to an upper end portion of the first steering stem through a rod and a ball joint.
However, in such a steering apparatus proposed, since the supporting stay, the holding cylinder, and various accessories thereof are projected forward of the head pipe, it is difficult to mount fairing members, such as, wind screen, handle cover, front cover, etc., at this location. Even if the fairing members are somehow mounted, they are obliged to the located far from the headpipe in the forward direction. This means that they are located remote from a driver. In order to obtain a sufficient effect as fairings, they are required to be made large in size. However, large fairing members are not desirable, since they invite increase of air resistance.
Generally, in a vehicle having a handle, there is such a tendency as that the handle and the fairings are often interferred with each other, when the handle is operated. In order to overcome the foregoing inconvenience, the fairings are required to include some adequate means such as escape, etc.